Samara LynnLG N1T1 1TB Super Multi NAS w/DVD ReWriterThe N1T1 is a multi-faceted NAS which can act as a stand-alone ODD or HDD. It can serve as an affordable NAS, multimedia server, FTP or print server for data-light home networks.

Has three-in-one functionality as an optical disk drive, a hard disk drive and a NAS. Built in DVD ReWriter. Good performance. User-friendly interface.

Cons

Sloppy Help text in interface. No alternate backup except for disc drive. Only 1 hard drive.

Bottom Line

The N1T1 is a multi-faceted NAS which can act as a stand-alone ODD or HDD. It can serve as an affordable NAS, multimedia server, FTP or print server for data-light home networks.

LG's N1T1 is a fun, family network-friendly NAS with an added bonus: a built-in DVD ReWriter. Plus, it can function as a standalone external hard drive or optical drive. There's one major downside which make this not a NAS recommended for business or highly-critical data: it only has one internal hard drive. That means no drive redundancy, no hot swapping capability, and no robust RAID options. Furthermore, backup options for protecting data are rather limited. You can copy data from the NAS to a DVD. You can copy data from a USB drive to the NASbut not vice versa. If those hi-def videos in your multimedia collection take up a TB or more of space alone, the N1T1 is not for you. It's more suited for those who have light-storage needs and are looking for a decent multimedia server that works with Linux, Apple and Windows. Still, for just $180, you get a surprisingly speedy performing NAS with that can also act as a streaming media server or a print server.

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Setup and Design
The N1T1 has a rather attractive casing. The white and black-edged chassis calls to mind Apple designs. On the front panel, the DVD drive and several blue LEDs emit a nice glow against the black facing. Ports include a Gigabit Ethernet and a Type A USB 2.0 port. Inside components include a Marvell 800 MHz processor, and a 1 TB SATA II drive (7200 RPM).

The unit will fit unobtrusively into any home network with dimensions, in inches of 5.91 x 2.63 x 8.27 (HWD). It weighs just a hair over 4 pounds.

Because the N1T1 can run in three different modesas a NAS, an optical drive or an external HDDsetup varies depending on which mode you want to run. To set the device as an external ODD or HDD is just a matter of flipping a toggle switch on the rear of the device to one of those modes.

Users will need the CD that ships with the N1T1 to set it up as a NAS. The "NAS Detector" application is easy enough to install and did a quick and efficient job of locating the N1T1 connected to my test network.

UI and Feature Set
Once that's done, you can fire up the Web interface through the setup software. The software places a shortcut to the Web interface for convenient access. The web-based user interface is quite user-friendly. There are lots of large, colorful icons representing the various tasks and settings. The graphics-rich UI is inviting and unintimidating for those new to setting up network devices.

The feature set is basicnot as detailed as business class NASeswhich is appropriate for a consumer NAS in this price range. That's not to accuse LG of skimping on features. There's a nice status screen that displays all current information about the system including network settings, packet transmissions, and user account access status. Users can perform an array of tasks, from setting the device to work with a USB-based UPS to configuring DLNA and iTunes services.

Remote access is enabled through Dynamic DNS, which is very easy to set up. LG uses its own lgnas.com domain for DDNS; users just have to enter a hostname of their choosing. The UI features a "Confirm" button which confirms whether or not a setting took effect. It's particularly handy when setting up DDNS because it confirms when DDNS is activated and shows the associated public IP address.

Since the UI is so easy to wade through, I am bewildered by how incomprehensible the Help text within the interface is. Since this is a NAS more targeted for consumers or home business users; lucid guidance and explanations of features in Help is expected. Instead, consider this entry when I pressed Help for further information about UPnP:

It is possible that LG Network Storage directly received the request being sent to network sharing device connected LG Network Storage using UPnP forwarding.

Huh? That kind of help text is simply sloppy and out of place in what is overall a good user interface.

File management is done with the installed open-source application ajaXplorer; another good and easy-to-work-with file management system. Windows users can opt to create a desktop shortcut and use Windows Explorer.

The N1T1 also features a torrent client. I find it limited, as there's no ability to search for torrents from within the client. Media streaming works fine and was able to stream files to Windows Media Player. DVD burning and file copy from a USB also works well with no issues.

Good thing the DVD burning works well, because you have no other back-up or data redundancy options with this device. The NAS setup CD does come with Nero BackItUp Software, but you have to play $35 to unlock the full version. I would like better the ability to attach storage that I can copy data from the N1T1 from, (other than just an unreliable DVD disc).

There are a few physical features I really liked about the N1T1. I left the device running an entire weekend and on Monday it was cool to the touch. The device also plays a pleasant beep sound whenever it gets disconnected or reconnected to a USB drive to or to the network. This is a nice feature because, if you are connecting it to a network for the first time, you don't have to sit and stare at the LEDs to see when it successfully connects.

Performance
I tested the NAS performance by doing a simple upload using a 1.5 GB file from a laptop to the N1T1. I tested uploading first, through the ajaXplorer interface and then only through Windows Explorer. I got a speedy 11 MBps rate; and the upload took only a little over 2 minutes, no matter which way I uploaded, through the interface or through Explorer. That surprised me, as several NASes I have tested had slow upload times when testing though the NAS' bundled software as opposed to uploading through Explorer which is generally much faster.

For example, another consumer NAS, Seagate's Free Agent GoFlex Home Network Storage System ($160, 3.5 stars), didn't upload the same file as fast as the N1T1 did when I uploaded through the GoFlex's web interface. The rate was a slower 6.6 MBps. Yet, when I uploaded the same file to the GoFlex using Windows Explorerthe rate jumped to 16 MBps; even better than what I got with the N1T1. Plextor's PX-NAS2-1T1 ($280, 2.5 stars) timed out completely when I tried a large file upload through its web interface and still didn't upload as fast as the N1T1 doing a file copy through Explorer at about 6 MBps. Although the GoFlex's upload rate via Explorer was higher than the N1T1's I liked the fact that the N1T1's rate didn't vary for upload whether I used its browser interface or through Explorer.

Fun with the N1T1
LG's N1T1 1TB Super Multi NAS w/DVD ReWriter is a NAS for light household duty, and not serious business use. What it's built to do act as an external ODD or HDD and as a consumer NAS with multimedia and DLNA servicesit does well. It does lose some points for unintelligible help text as well as its limited backup options, however. But, if your data needs are modest and you are looking for an affordable home NAS, the N1T1 is a good choice.

About the Author

Samara Lynn has nearly twenty years experience in Information Technology; most recently as IT Director at a major New York City healthcare facility. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College, several technology certifications, and she was a tech editor for the CRN Test Center.
With an extensive, hands-on background in deploying and manag... See Full Bio

LG N1T1 1TB Super Multi NAS w/D...

LG N1T1 1TB Super Multi NAS w/DVD ReWriter

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